Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal expressed strong frustration with the officiating following his team's 31-24 loss to the No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday night. The top-ranked Hurricanes saw a potential game-tying touchdown by tight end Elija Lofton ruled incomplete after a replay review, a decision that left Cristobal "beyond upset."
With 3:36 remaining in the fourth quarter, quarterback Darian Mensah threw to Lofton on fourth-and-6 from the Notre Dame 18-yard line. Lofton appeared to secure the catch with two hands and two feet in bounds near the end zone boundary, but safety Luke Talich dislodged the ball as Lofton stepped out of bounds. The on-field ruling of incomplete pass stood after a brief review.
"Really, really disappointed that they negated Elija Lofton's touchdown with two hands on the ball and two feet in bounds," Cristobal said in his postgame news conference. "I'm pissed off. It's bullshit, and I'll leave it at that." He added that the team was told before the game not to leave the outcome in the hands of officials.
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay supported the ruling, stating simply, "It's incomplete." Mensah, who finished 24-of-43 for 276 yards and three touchdowns, said he did not see the ball knocked loose at the moment. "You can't leave it up to one play. Can't leave it in the hands of the officials. I've got to play better," he said.
Cristobal later apologized for his criticism of the officials, saying, "I need to be mature and professional about it. Be very honest about my opinion on it, but not point any fingers except at ourselves and go get better."
Miami played without injured receiver Malachi Toney for the first time this season and trailed 24-3 before mounting a comeback in the third quarter. Notre Dame, led by a Heisman-caliber performance from quarterback CJ Carr, secured a signature win that avenged last season's 27-24 loss to the Hurricanes and bolstered their College Football Playoff hopes.
"It's a special moment," Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. "Enjoy the moment, because tomorrow when you wake up it's time to get ready for the next one. I know it's a big one. This is big. This is special. I'm not going to sit here and say this was like the other ones. No, this is different."
